


The Visit

by Stariceling



Category: Yoroiden Samurai Troopers | Ronin Warriors
Genre: Angst, M/M, My first fic, Post Series, longing and ennui
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-03-15
Updated: 2002-03-15
Packaged: 2017-12-05 10:09:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/721863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stariceling/pseuds/Stariceling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post series. Shin has been distancing himself. Now Naaza looks forward to his too-brief excuse to visit. Hint of Naaza/Shin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Visit

**Author's Note:**

> This is first fic I was happy enough with to post to the internet. Even after all this time there are things I definitely like about it. (Someday it would be nice to go back and try again at writing how everyone was getting along after the end of the series.) I polished it up again a few years later, though mostly fixing up punctuation and clarifying a few stray phrases. This is the improved version.
> 
> Unfortunately for organization I don't have records for when exactly I posted most things before about February 2004, so I could only backdate to before the earliest fic I do have a hard date for. (Original publish date might actually be 8/16/2001)
> 
> ~Denotes speaking through 'armor link'~

Naaza glared at the clock above him, it was doing that on purpose, he was sure. The longer hand crept slowly toward the top. Almost. . . it was almost two.

Every week in the past almost-year he would teleport to the same hall to watch the same infuriating clock. Every Sunday he was supposed to pick up the books that the Ronins had picked out for them, to 'educate' them in the ways of the mortal realm, and return the ones from last week. It wasn’t as if he liked the job, it was just the only excuse he had for visiting Shin anymore.

Of course every Sunday that stupid clock made him wait.

Victory! The clock had surrendered its second hour. Naaza turned to the door he was standing in front of. 1-6-7-8, Naaza adjusted the stack of books he held under one arm and knocked loudly.

After a triple moment with no answer, Naaza pressed his ear to the door. No sound, that couldn't be right, he was always there on sundays. Naaza knocked louder, maybe Shin had decided to just not be home to see him. He had already managed to avoid being with Naaza every other time Naaza tried to see him. Even to the extent of actually moving away from the rest of the Troopers so there where no chance encounters whenever the Masho dropped by to visit.

Or maybe, something had happened to him. . .

Naaza stopped pounding and tried to reach out with his awareness, to touch Shin’s mind through the link between their armors. ~Shin?~

~. . .~ Naaza could just barely feel Shin's mental presence, it seemed muddled and sluggish.

~Shin!~ Naaza screamed inside his head.

~Wha?~

~Where are you? Are you okay?~ At least he seemed to be okay, but was Shin avoiding him?

~Yeah I'm okay, I'm in my apartment.~

~But. . .~ Naaza felt that didn’t answer much of anything. ~Why won't you open the door?~

The other end of the link was silent for a stretch of time. Then, ~Did you teleport straight into the hall again?~

~I didn't want to be late,~ Naaza told him, though he really didn’t understand why where he teleported had any significance.

The only reply Naaza got was something that he could only describe as a mental sigh. A moment later the door opened.

"Naaza, what do you want at two in the morning?"

Naaza took in Shin's words, and the fact that he was wearing his sleeping clothes. That would explain the link feeling weird, if Shin had been asleep.

"Um... books?" Was all Naaza could seem to manage for a moment. "I didn't mean to come in the middle of the night, I'll come back later."

"Forget it," Shin told him, "I'm already awake, so just come inside."

Naaza followed him inside. He was feeling really guilty for dragging Shin out of bed at two in the morning for nothing, "Shin..."

"No."

Naaza looked at him blankly for a moment before he explained further.

"I know that voice. I don't want any apology, everyone makes mistakes. The only thing is you'll have to wait for the books. The library isn't open at this hour and I haven't had time to pick up your books yet. Would you like some tea?"

Naaza noticed they had entered Shin's narrow kitchen. Looking around, he couldn't help wishing, the way he always seemed to do when he came here lately, that he could take Shin back with him. This place was too small, and far too far from the ocean. He didn't know how the water warrior could stand it.

"Naaza?"

"Oh, tea would be nice, thank you," Naaza moved out of Shin's way. The kitchen wasn't big enough for two.

Once he was back in the front room, Naaza relocated himself onto the tiny sofa. More of a love-seat, honestly. There was no way you could fit more then two people on it.

With a sigh, Naaza put his head between his knees. Now all he could see was the dirty colored carpet. There was a dark stain under the sofa. With the mood he was in, his first assumption was that it was old blood.

As he stared at the stain Naaza felt himself wishing again that he could bring Shin back to the former dynasty. There was a place for him, and the others too if they wanted it, in the world they were rebuilding.

"Here." A light hand on his shoulder brought him back into reality. He pulled his thoughts back together as Shin pressed a warm mug into his hands and sat next to him.

"I'm sorry for being so much trouble."

"Don't do that," Shin scolded.

Naaza moved so he could look at Shin. He looked the same way Naaza always felt when he wished he could take Shin away with him. He knew that hollow ache well enough to want desperately to remove it from his friend.

"What?" Naaza leaned out and set down his tea, never letting his eyes leave Shin. "Just tell me what it is, I'll try to stop."

"There, you're doing it. Do you just assume we all hate you?"

Naaza just stared at him. Shin had the best claim of hatred to him of anyone. It still surprised him to have Shin's universal caring extended toward him.

Shin lowered his eyes and continued, "Ever since, y'know," he shook his head, as if unwilling to bring up the animosity that once poisoned the waters between them. "You've acted like, being a. . ." he trailed off. Naaza reached over and gently took the mug from Shin's shaking hands.

Taking a shallow breath, Shin finally continued in a faint voice, "Like being a one of his generals meant you had no right to happiness."

"Shin!" Naaza immediately cursed himself when Shin flinched. This wasn’t something they talked about, but he wasn’t angry, just surprised. He took a deep breath and said in a softer voice, "You don't know what's happened, what I've done."

"You've still got to stop this." Shin's head snapped up, his blue-green eyes brimming with tears. "I can tell that you haven't been sleeping. You've lost weight too. Are you trying to work yourself to death?"

'Shin you don't understand,' Naaza thought, wiping away a tear that had escaped down Shin's face, ‘After what I've done, what I've done to you, how can you cry for me?'

He didn't realize he'd said it out loud until Shin answered, "Because you've proved you still can feel regret."

Naaza felt something twist inside him as another tear slid down Shin's face. He wanted to lash out, to wipe the earth of any cause of discontent to the gentle warrior. Old habits still wouldn’t die, but he didn’t have a target.

"What about you? What are you doing here anyway? You're only distancing yourself from your friends and your element." The words where out before he had considered them.

Shin lowered his head again, clenching and unclenching his hands. Naaza felt his anger drain away, melting before a rush of concern.

"Shin?" Naaza reached out tentatively and lightly touched the top of Shin's head. He blinked his surprise, Shin's hair was so soft. "I shouldn’t be attacking your way of life. I'm sorry," he offered.

"But you where right."

"No, I was just angry"

"Naaza, you where right," Shin grasped Naaza's knee with both hands, his entire body was tense. Struggling not to look away. "I don't really belong here. I've been acting like I want to hide from you."

"Do you?"

"What?"

"Want to hide?"

"Oh." Shin smiled for the first time that night, "You'd just hunt me down if I did."

"I wo..."

"Now don't try to deny it." Shin bent close enough to touch his nose to Naaza's. "I'd be disappointed if you didn't."

After a full minute Shin moved away, his smile fading, and his face red. Naaza instinctively put one hand on the back of Shin's neck to hold him there. "Does that count as ‘running away?'"

Shin looked shocked for a minute before he devolved into laughter, collapsing against Naaza’s chest, “Just like I predicted.”

Naaza shrugged, he enjoyed playing with Shin’s hair too much to form a full answer.

“Naaza?”

"Hmmm?"

"I was just wondering . . ."

"What?" Naaza glanced down at Shin's face. Hadn't someone said that eyes were windows to the soul? Shin looked lost and afraid. Afraid of what? He saw the ocean in those eyes, and also something . . . something pure? How could he have never noticed those eyes before?

"It's not important."

"Tell me."

"Here, your tea's getting cold."

Naaza could only sit there, stunned, as Shin twisted out of his arms and gathered up their tea mugs. Shin had retreated halfway to the kitchen by the time he managed to gather himself enough to follow. Something had happened between them just now and he couldn't let Shin push him away just like that.

Naaza stopped just inside the doorway of the kitchen, Shin was standing rigidly, gripping the counter as though it was the only thing keeping him standing. He was shaking slightly.

Taking three steps to be at Shin's side, Naaza touched his shoulder lightly. Shin jerked back as though Naaza had hit him. Only a half step backwards brought his back up against the back wall, the room was narrow enough that there was no way past Naaza.

"What where you trying to say?"

Shin didn't answer, turning his face away instead.

"Shin," Naaza placed his hand on Shin’s cheek, gently turning his face until he could look right into Shin’s eyes. He was shocked to find them brimming with tears once again. “Wasn’t there something you wanted to say?”

Shin shook his head slowly.

"Are you sure?"

"Completely."

Shin looked down at his feet, unsure of what to say next. Naaza just watched him, wishing he had the courage to touch Shin's hair again. Or, even better, to hold him in his arms again.

Then again, maybe he could...

Naaza was quite sure the little squeak Shin made when he lifted him up into his was the most adorable sound he had ever heard.

"Naaza, what are you doing?"

"Its way past your bedtime," Naaza informed his slightly wiggly burden as he carried him towered the bedroom.

"And just whose fault is that?" Shin muttered, leaning his head against Naaza's shoulder.

Gently placing Shin on the bed in the next room, Naaza pulled the blankets around him. Stepping back, Naaza couldn't help noticing just how peaceful Shin looked.

"Sleep well," Naaza whispered, laying a light kiss on the top of Shin's head before he could stop himself.

Shin smiled again for a brief moment, then yawned. Letting his hand stretch out to brush Naaza’s arm he murmured, "Its way too early for this."

Rather than remove Shin’s hand from his arm, Naaza settled down to sit cross-legged with his back to the bed. It had been more than a millennium since he had someone to guard through the night, and who would attack here that Shin couldn’t handle on his own? Yet the position felt natural.

Shin let out a soft laugh, hand tracing up to squeeze Naaza’s shoulder before falling away. Naaza was utterly still. This was where he wanted to be, but Shin could send him away with a word.

But Shin let him stay, only whispering in the dark, “I’ll see you in the morning.”


End file.
